


Alliance

by towardsmorning



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-24
Updated: 2012-04-24
Packaged: 2017-11-04 06:19:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/390730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towardsmorning/pseuds/towardsmorning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>(Prompt: a fic where Meelo, Pabu, and Bolin team up to steal Mako’s scarf.)</i>
</p><p>"Bolin would never say that his brother didn't have a sense of humour. He's far too optimistic to say anything so extreme."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> This is a commissioned fic for [elfgrove](http://elfgrove.tumblr.com/), who is infinitely generous and came up with such a hilarious prompt I'm sort of ashamed it didn't get given to someone funnier, haha. I officially demand that the show give me Bolin-Meelo shenanigans.
> 
> She also drew some really awesome pictures to go along with it, which I've included at the end!
> 
> (Please note that this was written pre-episode three's airing.)

Bolin would never say that his brother didn't have a sense of humour. He's far too optimistic to say anything so extreme: it's not that Mako doesn't have a sense of humour, Bolin insists, it's just that it's hidden really, really well. One of these days, Bolin is going to strike gold and find it, and in the meantime he's having plenty of fun trying. Even if Mako doesn't appreciate the pranks himself.  
  
One day, when that sense of humour is well and truly unearthed, Bolin is pretty sure Mako will look back on each and every one and find them hilarious. He'll have done his brother a great service, really. The thought is what keeps him going. For now, the resigned look of po-faced irritation Mako gets every time Bolin pulls one over on him is worth it on its own- getting there tends to be a challenge in and of itself, so cracking through the dismissive exterior his brother is fond of projecting to garner even a simple sigh of annoyance is always sweet. Not to mention something of an ego boost.  
  
And this time, Bolin has help.  
  
He likes children, on the whole. They're good company and frequently hilarious, and cute to boot. He'd nagged and nagged at Korra to let him and Mako visit her on the island and meet those airbending kids she was always going on about; when she'd finally given in, she'd warned them before they left, a gleam in her eye.  
  
"Jinora's fine, but Ikki can get pretty... excited," she'd said, laughing fondly. "Just tune her out when she starts talking, you won't keep up. And Meelo's... something, all right," she said, looking torn between continuing the laughter and grimacing. "Don't be surprised if he jumps on you. Or climbs you. Or starts trying to chew on you."  
  
The look on Mako's face at the last part was fantastic, and Bolin had filed it away for future reference; he wondered if Korra knew how vain his brother can be about his hair. She had caught sight of the look and started to giggle, growing into a full blown gale of laughter when he'd noticed and scowled. Bolin joined in because really, the best part of having Korra around was that she went with it, 'it' being 'ganging up on Mako'- he'd never had anyone to conspire with before, unless you counted Pabu, tagging along for the ride around Bolin's neck like a much cooler version of Mako's scarf, if Bolin said so himself.  
  
He'd stopped laughing when they get to the island though, because sure, Bolin had known the place was impressive- even from a distance, it had a look about it which grabbed the eye and held it in place- but _wow_ , this was more than he'd expected, somehow. Air Temple Island had always been something seen from a distance, and Bolin was aware that he was gaping just a little as he looked around and realised that yep, he was seeing it up close; it was somehow regal, and refined, and all sorts of things Bolin simply wasn't used to. Korra gestured as the entered with a flourish and Bolin could immediately see that there was a subtle kind of pride in her, the air of someone showing off a well-loved home to outsiders. She hadn't been living here long, he knew, but it became clear at once that she already cared about it as though it were home, and he could feel just how comfortable she had already become there. It reminded him a little of what it had felt like when he and Mako had first moved into the bending arena's attic, when any roof over their heads had been a novelty to be relished and reveled in.  
  
"Great, isn't it?" she beamed, and Bolin grinned back because everything about Korra was infectious and you simply couldn't help it. Even Mako smiled back, just a little, the grump.  
  
Bolin had all of five seconds to process all this before he was knocked on his butt. An undignified squeak might have been involved, he had to admit, but it was hard to tell laid flat on his back and winded.  
  
"Meelo, let him go," he heard Korra say in between giggles from his vantage point on the ground, and the arms wrapped tightly around his middle somehow managed to grow tighter in response. " _Meelo!_ "  
  
A brief scuffle of flailing limbs and squirming later and Bolin succesfully disentangled himself; his first proper look at the kid dismissed all thoughts of holding an immature and satisfying grudge. For a start, the kid was way too young to blame for being overenthusiastic, and secondly, he was way too charming for what basically amounted to a fleshy blob with a face stuck on top. "Hey, little guy," Bolin wheezed through what he swore were brusied ribs worse than any pro-bending injury he's ever had, "So you're the famous Meelo, huh?"  
  
"I'm famous!" he crowed, with a face-splitting grin. His eyes widened until they looked like they were going to fall out of his skull. "YEAH!"  
  
And so that was how Bolin gained a willing partner in crime.  
  
*  
  
The day he plans to put his newly-minted partnership to use, he's sat in a courtyard on the island watching Korra make a fool out of herself.  
  
His immediate reaction is triumphant- Korra's distracting Mako for them and she doesn't even know it! It's perfect. He'd have asked her to help, except that Korra sometimes has a blabbermouth and one little kid with no brain-to-mouth filter had been enough to worry about. Maybe next time. Bolin's sure she'll be up for it- she's got a great sense of humour, Korra. Much more than he'd ever expected from a bigshot like the Avatar. Truth be told, he'd always sort of seen the Avatar as some grumpy old man, with the whole 'responsibility' and 'balance' stuff, but Korra's a riot.  
  
Which is why there's a niggling part of him- the part not internally screaming with laughter at the sight of the two least smooth individuals in existence trying to pretend they aren't flirting, anyway- which is sort of sulking as he watches Korra and Mako talk.  
  
It's not like Bolin ever really had a shot. And it's not like he really _minds._ Korra's a friend, and a really good one at that. But a small part of him is just a little less than pleased that it's really obviously not on the table anymore. It'll pass, he's sure. It's not a big deal.  
  
Besides, now he gets to tease Mako about it.  
  
He sidles over as casually as possible, resisting the urge to whistle because he knows from long experience it never looks innocent. As he draws closer, he keeps an eye on the tree casting shade over both parties; he can't really squint through the foliage and keep a low profile, but he _thinks_ he sees a flash of orange. Pabu unwinds himself from around Bolin's neck at his nudge and scampers up into the branches.  
  
"...so," he hears Korra say, laughing nervously, "you, uh, got the tour last time, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Jinora showed you around?"  
  
"Mm," Mako grunts, before seemingly trying to pull himself together. "She was... very thorough."  
  
"Oh. Well. That's... Jinora," Korra manages, and then she catches sight of Bolin. He sees relief and annoyance war on her face, at someone come to either rescue or hinder her- he waves cheerfully while she makes up her mind. "Hey guys, having fun without me?"  
  
"Heeey Bolin," Korra says, apparently settling on relief and dragging him bodily by the arm; he winces. He swears someone needs to tell Korra to mind her own strength every now and again, but it's not gonna be him. "Where have you been?"  
  
"Oh, you know, just appreciating the sights," he says. Above him, there's a rustle from one of the lower branches. Neither of them seem to notice. "How about you two?"  
  
"Oh, just, you know," Korra says.  
  
"...No," Bolin says after a moment. "You're gonna need to be a little more specific there."  
  
There's an awkward pause. The tree keeps rustling. He'd babble to hide it, except Mako learns from experience really well and will know exactly what that means coming from Bolin. This would, he reflects, be infinitely easier if Korra was any good at the chatting-people-up thing. Maybe he should give her some lessons. Would that be awkward? No, that would probably be awkward.  
  
Pabu appears silently behind Mako's head, inching downwards jerkily. It takes all of Bolin's willpower not to glance up and see Meelo hanging onto the branch above with a determined expression. Well, okay, maybe 'determined' is a little optimistic. Bolin is pretty sure Meelo doesn't have anything that dignified in his repertoire of frankly magnificent facial contortions. At any rate, he forces a straight face as the ferret's head dips below Mako's.  
  
Just, anyway.  
  
"You OK there, Bolin?" Korra asks, jumping on the opportunity to find something to talk about. Mako frowns in response and takes a second glance at his brother, eyes narrowing suspiciously. _Whoops._  
  
"Sure. Just... you know, enjoying myself." He lets himself grin broadly. The word would probably be 'sunny', but Mako doesn't look convinced- he's got as much experience with Bolin's pranks, after all, as Bolin himself does. Before he can open his mouth to continue, however, there's an inarticulate cry of victory from above and suddenly Pabu is a lot higher than he was a moment earlier.  
  
Well, Bolin thinks to himself, at least Meelo had managed to stay quiet until after Pabu had latched his teeth firmly into Mako's scarf. The red material is jerked upwards as Pabu is, and Bolin forgets himself for a moment- "Hey, you're gonna pull his tail off like that!"  
  
Mako finds a moment in between trying to jerk his scarf free to turn and glare. The effect is somewhat spoiled by the fact that Meelo has used airbending to push himself further up into the tree and that Mako is tugging grimly at his sudden noose. "Uh, I mean... Meelo, what are you doing up there?" Korra's head whips around and he catches sight of her looking torn between resigned and amused; he supposes Meelo's appeal wears off a little when you _live_ with him. Still, Bolin can see the smile tugging at her lips. He gives up on the poker face and adds his own, surveying the scene with amusement.  
  
"SCARF!"  
  
Meelo seems to have given up on trying to pull the thing off through sheer force and instead takes the move of leaping down onto Mako's head, screeching gleefully. Mako's eyes widen and Bolin can see his quick arena instincts kick in as he starts to step back- Pabu, meanwhile, has leapt away and is hissing in Meelo's direction from a distance. Bolin is probably going to bear the brunt of the ferret's sulking later on. Hopefully he'll get over it sooner rather than later. _Worth it._  
  
"You need some help there, bro?" Bolin asks innocently, still grinning and turning to watch Mako try and push the child away, a feat made harder by the fact that Meelo has replaced Pabu's mouth with his own and is currently attempting to airbend off with it. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to have noticed that it's tied around Mako's neck still, which means that all he's succeeding in doing is pulling Mako around. Korra is making grabs for him, previous nerves forgotten in between gales of laughter, and saying, without much conviction, "Meelo, let him _go._ "  
  
His brother looks like he'd really like to have a way to firebend at Meelo without enraging Tenzin. It's a lot better than the normal sigh of irritation, and Bolin is going to get a lot of mileage out of that look; every time he's feeling down, that look is going to be there to comfort him, he thinks.  
  
 _So. Not found that sense of humour then, yet,_ Bolin muses to himself, and decides that this would be a good time to leave them all to it.

 

*

 

 

 

(Art by [elfgrove](http://elfgrove.tumblr.com/).)


End file.
